Vision
by Akabeko
Summary: Strange happenings, a problematic retrieval and unresolved matters from the past involve the GetBackers in an unknown figure's quest for power.
1. Vision

**1.**

"I thought you said we were going to the Honkey Tonk, Ban-chan," Ginji ran to catch up with his partner who had turned down a back street, away from their usual haunt. Ban shrugged.

"There's something I wanna show you," he said flatly. Ginji squeeled in delight and grasped his friend excitedly on the arm.

"Is it a surprise, Ban-chan? Ooh what is it?!"

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you would it, idiot." Ginji laughed happily and, still grasping Ban's arm, followed him through a maze of streets Ginji didn't think he'd ever seen before. After a few minutes of walking, Ginji noticed the buildings were starting to thin out and they were passing more open areas. To their right was a large park covered in bright green grass with a few thick trees dotted randomly on the landscape. It was strange, he thought idly, that no one was in the park. In fact, it seemed they were seeing fewer and fewer people as they walked further from the Shinjuku Ginji was familiar with. And he could swear it was getting warmer. Back near the Honkey Tonk it had definitely been overcast. But the further they walked, the sunnier it became. Now there was not one cloud in the sky.

"It really got hot suddenly, didn't it Ban-chan?" he said, finally letting go of Ban's arm to stop and look up at the sky. But he received no reply.

"Ban-chan?" he asked again. Looking away from the sky now, Ban was nowhere to be seen. Ginji was starting to feel slightly uneasy. The heat, the parks, the quiet. He thought he knew Shinjuku well but this place was unfamiliar and seemed at odds with the noisy, crowded Shinjuku he was used to. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't see the looming towers of Mugenjou anywhere in the distance, though he was sure they hadn't walked far enough to be out of the shadow of that place. It all felt wrong and empty, though he knew he should be loving the warmth and openness surrounding him.

"Ban-chan?" Ginji called again. Louder now. He wasn't panicking, but there was no one around and the world seemed too quiet, too calm. He began walking in the direction they had been headed. He passed a few more buildings to the left, calling loudly down each of the side streets to make sure Ban hadn't turned down one. Still no reply. He looked back towards the park. It seemed to go on endlessly, but was flat so he was sure he would see Ban if he had gone that way. Unless he was hiding behind a tree. But Ban didn't do things like that so Ginji didn't think that was the case. And still no sign of any other people. Now Ginji was feeling distinctly disturbed. Like the world had all gone wrong. Like he was the only one left in it. Though he knew if he turned around and walked back the way he had come, he'd be back in the busy streets of Shinjuku in just a few minutes. Well, if he could remember the way. Ginji stopped walking and looked back. Maybe he should do that? He just didn't feel right. And where had Ban gone? He looked forward again and was surprised to see Ban standing a few metres up the road.

"Oi, Ginji! What you hanging around for?" he called. Ginji sprinted up to his friend.

"Where'd you go?" he asked, "And where are we going anyway?" Ban was looking at him through his purple glasses, which Ginji noticed were pushed all the way up his nose, so much so that Ginji couldn't look into his friend's eyes like he usually could. Maybe Ban felt a bit uneasy too. That was usually why he pushed his glasses up like that. As well as to keep them from falling off, of course. But Ban just shrugged.

"I told you. It's a surprise." And he turned around and continued up the street. Ginji followed closely, not wanting to lose his partner again.

"Ban-chan, this place feels weird. What's going on?" he asked after walking a few more metres in tense silence.

"Huh? What are you on about? It's a warm day and there are parks everywhere round here. Don't you like that kind of thing?" But Ban's voice was low and expressionless and he didn't turn around or stop to speak to him, just continued walking steadily, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. Ginji stopped walking and stared curiously at the back of Ban's head.

"Ban-chan? What's wrong? You're acting weird too," he asked quietly, cautiously looking around, knowing now that something was _definitely_ wrong. A few steps ahead of him Ban stopped abruptly but didn't turn around. Instead, he slowly removed his hands from his pockets, bringing with them his pack of cigarettes and lighter. Ginji watched as Ban slowly took out and lit a cigarette, then returned the pack and lighter to his pockets. He sighed heavily as he exhaled the smoke, then spoke.

"I don't know what you're on about, Ginji," Ban took another drag on his cigarette, "Nothing usually bothers you're little brain, so I don't know why this should." Ginji frowned. Ban often called Ginji an idiot and told him he was stupid, but this time his words were cold and spiteful, as if he were talking to an enemy. And even though he was sweating and could feel the sun burning his bare arms, Ginji felt suddenly cold as Ban turned to face him.

"I'm trying to help you, Ginji. Can't you see that?" Ban's voice was quiet, dispassionate. It didn't sound like Ban-chan at all, Ginji thought. His friend motioned towards the park.

"It's my eyes, you see," Ban smirked at the phrase, then started walking towards the grass.

"Ban...chan. I'm going back," Ginji said loudly, trying to hide the fear in his voice. This wasn't Ban-chan. This wasn't Shinjuku. And Ginji just wanted to go back to earlier, when he'd been in the car with his best friend, trying to steal one of the rice balls Ban was hoarding. But this Ban didn't stop, or even turn around as he said;

"I thought you would. Eventually. But you can't." Ginji was really starting to get annoyed with Ban's cryptic replies. So he told him so.

"Like I said," this Ban laughed humourlessly, "I'm just trying to help. So do what you want." Ginji felt hopelessly confused and could think of nothing to do but follow this Ban, quashing the panic rising from the pit of his stomach as he ran to catch up. It seemed this Ban was heading towards a clump of trees not far off.

"Is this the surprise?" Ginji asked skeptically. Ban stopped and turned to Ginji, his eyes still completely hidden behind those purple glasses. Still smoking, Ban replied slowly, as though speaking to a child.

"In there," he pointed to the trees, "Go in there." Then he started walking back the way he came. Ginji stood for a moment completely perplexed. The Ban thing was quickly walking back towards the street now. He didn't even look back. Now Ginji was completely convinced that that had not been _his_ Ban. But still, he reflected, he had come this far so he might as well see what this was all about. Then go and find Ban-chan. Ban-chan knew about weird stuff like this. With this in mind, Ginji walked resolutely towards the coppice, prepared for the worst.

As soon as he had passed between the first trees, Ginji felt the temperature drop and the light lessen even though the trees were not particularly dense. It was easy to make his way through the trees though he had no idea which way he was supposed to be going. So he just walked in a straight line as best he could, looking cautiously around all the time for any signs of attack. So focused was Ginji on the area around him that he didn't notice a ball in his path and, flapping his arms frantically, tripped on it landing solidly on his back.

"Owww..." Ginji sat up and rubbed his back tenderly, looking for the cause of his fall. The ball sat a few feet in front of him. Ginji wondered if this was what he had come all this way for. He pushed himself off the ground, walked over to the ball then picked it up cautiously. Nothing happened. The ball looked and felt completely ordinary so Ginji let it fall to his feet, not wanting it to get in the way should he get attacked, and continued walking. Strange, Ginji thought, that ball being there. And the fact that on the outside it hadn't looked like the forested area was very big. But he's been going deeper into the coppice for at least 10 minutes now.

Then he heard it. Almost inaudible at first. A quiet ringing somewhere in front of him. He followed the sound, though it never seemed to get any louder. Instead it was overtaken by a gentle rustling of undergrowth and a few twigs snapping. Sensing a presence, Ginji moved even more cautiously onwards until he saw a small figure walking slowly through the trees. He stopped. From where he was standing, Ginji could see it was a small girl, maybe 6 or 7. Seemingly sensing someone watching her the girl stopped and looked in Ginji's direction.

"Is anyone there?" she called a little fearfully. Not wanting to scare the child, Ginji stepped out from behind the trees and waved at the girl. He smiled as kindly as he could.

"Ah...hello. It's only...um...me," he called back, but then realised that the girl didn't know who "me" was, "I was just walking through the woods. Have you seen anything strange?" The girl looked at him oddly, then smiled and began walking over to him.

"Only you!" she giggled as she came up to stand in front of the blond man. Ginji laughed.

"Sorry if I scared you," he said, scratching his head guiltily, "But what are you doing in here on your own?"

"I was looking for someone!" the girl replied brightly.

"Who is it? Maybe I can help you?" Ginji was worried the girl would get lost and the uneasiness he felt still hadn't left him. He certainly didn't want the little girl to get hurt, like...

He didn't want to know why he had just thought of that, but he didn't want to think about it. The girl was giggling now.

"It's okay. I don't want to find them now. I'm going home," she said. Then walked away in the direction Ginji had just come waving as she disappeared into the trees. That was the second time today someone had walked past him without explaining anything. The day really was becoming very annoying. Ginji wondered if he should go after the girl, but she seemed to know where she was going and he had just come from that way so he supposed it was safe. So he went on for a couple more minutes. The trees started to thin out and it was getting warmer again. Maybe what ever it was he was supposed to see was the other side of the trees? He sped up a little bit, quickly arriving at the edge of the tree line, then walking out onto the concrete path. There were lots of people here. And noise. It was as though someone had turned on the sound as soon as he stepped out of the wood. Looking back into the trees, nothing seemed unusual about them anymore. Not quite knowing what to do, Ginji followed the path a little way before it suddenly hit him that he knew exactly where he was now. This was Shinjuku Park. But that was the other side of Shinjuku to where he'd been with that Ban earlier. How had he got over here? And where was the thing he was supposed to see? Ban had said it was in the coppice. Maybe it _had_ been the ball? Or maybe...maybe the girl. Not understanding any of it, Ginji broke into a run, mind set on finding Ban-chan who he was sure would know what had just happened.


	2. Day

**2.**

"Oi. Ginji. Wake up," Ginji slowly opened his sleepy eyes to the sight of Ban standing outside the car door window vigourously toweling off his hair, "we're supposed to meet Hevn at ten, remember?" Ginji yawned widely and slowly sat up. He turned towards his partner who seemed to be giving him a strange grin. Ginji frowned.

"What?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," his friend replied, "Now get a move on." Ban turned away from the window and walked back forwards the fountain he had been washing in. Ginji watched him as he started brushing his teeth. The blond was in no hurry to get up. It felt like it was going to be a hot and sticky day and Ginji felt tired, like he had hardly slept at all.

"Oi, you idiot!" Ban was shouting at him, toothbrush being brandished threateningly, "Stop watching me like a pervert and get up!" Ginji grinned innocently, realising he must have been staring at his partner for some time for him to get so moody. He got out the car and, taking his own toothbrush and towel with him, went to join Ban by the fountain.

"You know stuff about dreams, right, Ban-chan?" Ginji asked sleepily.

"Why'd you ask that?" Ban said around his toothbrush.

"Well I usually have lots of dreams but lately I haven't had any," Ginji replied, rubbing the soreness from his neck brought about by sleeping in a car.

"Maybe you just don't remember," Ban suggested. Ginji thought for a moment.

"But I usually remember them. It's just weird..." Ban turned his head and studied his partner's face for a moment. Ginji thought he saw Ban frown for a second, but then his friend shrugged and turned his face back towards the fountain.

"Shouldn't worry about it," he said, and started washing his face. Ginji stood watching Ban, wondering why he was acting so strangely when he noticed a pair of piercing blue eyes staring at him moodily.

"What's up with you today? You're staring at me like some weird stalker again," Ban huffed. ã€€

"How d'you know I'm not stalking you?" Ginji teased. Ban glared menacingly.

"Well if you are, you're a pretty crap one because stalkers don't tend to be friends with the person they're stalking. Now shut up and brush your teeth," he turned back to the water fountain and smirked, "don't want clients to think you're a slob."

"I'm not a slob!" Ginji murmured sullenly.

"Never said you were," Ban replied.

"Yeah, but you implied it." Ban straightened up and faced Ginji, grinning evilly.

"That was a long word for you this early in the morning. You feeling alright?"

"Stop being so mean, Ban-chan! I'm not stupid! It's you who always loses all our money!"

"I do NOT lose the money, it just..." Ban trailed off, trying desperately to think of something to say,

"You just WHAT, Ban-chan?" Ginji prodded Ban moodily with his toothbrush.

"Oi, stop prodding me with that! It's been in your mouth!" Ban shouted.

"And you stop trying to change the subject! We got loads of money from that job last week. Where is it all now?"

Ban scoffed. "Most of it's in that bottomless pit you call a stomach!" Ginji noticed how Ban had planted his fists on his waist and was scowling menacingly. Sure signs that he was well on his way to a full-blown rage. So Ginji scowled back and replied;

"What? You eat way more than I do! All you ever do is steal food from me!"

"How can I be stealing when I paid for it!"

"We earned that money together!"

"Like you did much! I came up with the plan..."

"What plan? 'Let's just go in the house and get it,' you said, 'nobody'll be in,' you said. What kind of a plan is that?"

"It worked didn't it?!"

"Oh yeah! After I'D fought off those people who you said weren't in the house so that you could slack off somewhere rifling through a desk!" Ginji was starting to spark now, but Ban had no intention of losing to his partner.

"I was NOT slacking off! You're just too much of an idiot to have worked out where that guy'd hidden the file!"

"I WOULD HAVE WORKED IT OUT!!" Ginji shouted. Now Ginji really was getting mad.

"No you wouldn't! You would have just thrown lightening at the desk until it had turned to charcoal because that's what you do when you get mad..."

"Yeah. Just like I'm gonna do to your arse right about now!" Ginji made to grab Ban's arm, but Ban pulled it back just in time to avoid being shocked.

"Now, now, Ginji," he said holding his hands up placatingly, "you don't need to get so angry...I was just kidding..."

"Well I didn't think it was funny." Ginji approached Ban slowly.

"Come on! I'm your best friend!" Ban argued.

"Oh yeah," Ginji replied moodily, "My best friend who beats me up all the time and STEALS MY FOOD!" With that, Ginji stretched out his right arm towards Ban and channeled the electricity as he had done a thousand times before so that it surged from his hands and hit his partner square in the chest.

* * *

"I said I was sorry, Ban-chan," Ginji dragged alongside his slightly charred friend guiltily as they made their way from the car to the Honkey Tonk. Ban hadn't spoken a word to him since he'd electrocuted him back in the park. Once the shock had passed, Ban had simply stood there, fists clenched, bearing his teeth and giving Ginji a look of doom. The way Ban was smoking slightly and a bit blackened round the edges would have made Ginji laugh if it wasn't for the fury in his friend's eyes. That friend had then said something Ginji couldn't understand and walked angrily back to the car. Ginji had been following him, apologizing profusely, ever since. And Ban had not said a word.

"I didn't even fry you that much," Ginji tried again to get Ban to say something to him. Ban snorted, which was the most reaction Ginji had got from him yet so he pressed on;

"And you're used to it really," Ban turned his head towards Ginji and gave him another one of those looks. Ginji tried smiling sweetly, but he had the feeling it came out more like a grimace. He was starting to worry about the evil looks Ban was giving him. He wondered if Ban would use the Jagan on him in revenge.

"Aw, come on, Ban-chan. I've used higher volts on you before. It couldn't have been that bad..." Ginji could tell immediately he had said the wrong thing from the way Ban's eyes widened in fury and he stopped walking. He turned to face Ginji and shouted;

"I was covered in water! That damn well HURT!" _Well, at least he's talking to me_, Ginji thought, _sort of_. He turned around and started walking again.

"And now I can't touch any metal without getting a static shock. I've a good mind to whack you into next week. AND we're damn late meeting Hevn..." Ban was mumbling moodily as they approached the Honkey Tonk, "...if she's given our job to that idiot monkey boy I'm gonna let you starve..." Ban paused for a moment, thinking. "What's up with you anyway? You wouldn't usually fry me like that."

"Haven't been sleeping much..." Ginji mumbled in reply, "...it's making me a bit..."

"Why didn't you say?" Ban set off up the street again, "What is it? Dreams or something?" Ginji shook his head.

"No. That's what I was asking about earlier. I haven't had a dream in ages."

"How long is ages?"

"About two weeks, I suppose." Ban made no reply, but he was frowning as though he knew something.

"What is it, Ban-chan?" Ginji asked.

"Nothing," Ban replied flatly.

"Ban-chan, it's not nothing..." Ban shook his head dismissively causing Ginji to frown at him.

"Don't make me shock you again," he threatened, only half jokingly. Ban turned to his friend, unsure what to say.

"It's just...it's weird you should mention dreams," he began.

"Why's that?" Ginji looked at Ban expectantly. Averting his eyes, Ban answered;

"I've been having strange dreams...for about 2 weeks." Ginji stopped walking.

"Why didn't you say?" Ban stopped briefly but did not look back at his friend.

"Weird dreams are nothing unusual for me..." he said thoughtfully, then started walking again turning soon after down the back street on which the Honkey Tonk was located. Ginji followed after him.

"I didn't know that..." Ginji frowned again, wishing Ban could tell him things the way he could tell Ban anything. Ban shrugged in reply. Most people would have said Ban looked angry, but Ginji could tell it was more concern. "What could it be?" he asked.

"A lot of things. Or nothing. The dreams, though, are like someones's trying to tell me something..."

"What are they trying to tell you?" Ginji looked at his best friend and partner worriedly as they finally came to their destination, "Is it bad, Ban-chan?" Ginji asked. Ban stopped in front of the door and, pushing up his glasses, replied quietly;

"I don't know yet, Ginji."


	3. Reclaim

Please note that Chapter 2 has been heavily edited for coherancy and to get this story moving. Apologies for the inconvenience.

Reviews greatly appreciated.

**3.**

"It's a very thick, very old book..." the old woman told her grandson. She lifted the heavy volume from her lap and showed the child the page they had been studying. The boy leant forward to get a better look in the dim firelight of the room.

"They always are..." he murmured grumpily, gazing disinterestedly at the yellowed page. Sitting by the warm fire was making him sleepy and he had no doubt his grandmother would not let him go to bed for hours yet.

"Ban, stop sulking. You're not a 5 year old," the old woman commanded. But this just made him sulk further. It annoyed him no end that he couldn't even argue effectively with the old crone. She was too quick and too clever for him despite her years. Ban thought getting older only seemed to make her stronger. He hoped it would work that way for him too. Then maybe he could become stronger than even the old witch.

His grandmother though just sighed heavily and offered Ban the book, "Here, Boy. Read these two pages...and don't give me that look. This is important." The boy sat back down on the richly carpeted floor and began to read the first few lines out loud.

"Not in English, say it in German," the old woman instructed.

"But it's written in English..." her grandson protested.

"I want to hear it in German," she answered.

"But you can understand..."

"Stop arguing, Boy," she snapped and turned her eyes towards the stubborn child, "You really are irritating. Now just do as I say." She held her grandson's obstinate gaze for a moment then looked back towards the fire and waited. Ban just sat there for a couple of minutes staring blankly down at the page before he sighed melodramatically and began reading again. The old woman closed her eyes and allowed herself a small triumphant smile. Everything was a battle with Ban. The boy just couldn't stand to be told what to do. He was a lot more like her than she would ever care to admit.

"The book was said to have been burned in 1557 after the execution of its then owner Joachim Hezensohn. However, it appears several times in records dating between 1628 and 1775 at which time the "Witch Hunts", as they have been termed, were losing their ferocity." Ban stopped reading and looked up at his grandmother. To anyone who didn't know better, his grandmother looked just like any other shriveled up old woman. Sitting here in her leather chair in front of the roaring fire with a thick blanket thrown over her legs she looked ancient and tired. Ban wondered how old she really was and if she would ever die. It seemed unlikely and he thought perhaps he was glad for that. His thoughts were disturbed by the woman's voice cutting through the warmth and silence of the room.

"What is it?" It was more a demand than a question.

"Why is this important? It's just boring history." Ban said. Most people were afraid of his grandmother and would look at him in horror when he talked to her so disrespectfully, but he wasn't afraid of her. Just like she wasn't afraid of him.

"The book belongs to our family. One of our ancestors wrote it," she answered quietly.

"So?" Ban really didn't care about some book someone who died centuries ago had written. At that the old woman opened her eyes again and turned them on her cocky grandson.

"So, "she said pointedly, "It is important for us to reclaim it."

"Why?" She pointed towards the volume in his lap.

"If you read that you might find out." With that, his grandmother rested her head back on the chair and closed her eyes, indicating the end of the conversation. Ban looked down at the book in his hands. The text was small and smudged in places where it looked like it had got wet. Those parts would be almost impossible to read, Ban concluded. Even so, he knew his grandmother would keep him here until he had read every word on the page. He looked up at the old clock on the wall beside him. It was 9 o'clock already. He was sure to be in for a late night. With another of his well-practiced tragic sighs he started reading again. And as he read, his grandmother once again smiled in victory.

* * *

"You're late." Hevn stood, arms folded, glaring menacingly at the two retrievers who had just entered the café.

"Ehehe..." Ginji giggled innocently, "we got a bit delayed you see..." Hevn sighed wearily and took to pointing accusingly at the pair.

"I can not understand how you two _always_ manage to be late even though you have no work and no home..."

"Skill," Ban murmured sarcastically, "Seems like the clients aren't here yet anyway," he said, scanning the café for strangers. All he saw was the usual collection of misfits who hung out there. It seemed the entrance of the GetBackers had gone largely unnoticed. Natsumi and Rena were busy cleaning the coffee machine, and the Thread-spool and Monkey trainer were sitting in a booth talking in low voices.

"Considering how _late_ you are, they could have been and gone already!" Hevn continued to rant, drawing Ban's attention back to the matter in hand.

"But they haven't," Ban replied, "or else you wouldn't be here still." Hevn frowned.

"My, my, you're in a bad mood today, Ban-kun." She leaned closer to the brunette. "Come to think of it, you look a bit frazzled..." her eyes shifted to Ginji who was looking decidedly guilty now. The idiot blond giggled unconvincingly, looking anywhere but at Ban's glower.

"Whatever. Now are these clients coming or are you just trying to piss me off?" Ban spat back moodily.

"Ho! That's gratitude for you! I get you two lazy bums this really easy, well-paying job and this is what I get! I've a good mind to give this job to Shido-kun." Ban scoffed.

"That idiot couldn't retrieve a boomerang." Ginji looked up at him curiously.

"What's a boomerang, Ban-chan?" he asked. Ban rolled his eyes.

"Never mind, Ginji." He turned to the café owner, "Can I get some coffee, Paul?"

"Only if you're paying for it." Ban rummaged around in his pockets and was depressed to find only a few 10 yen pieces. He swore miserably under his breath. This was turning out to be a very bad day for Midou Ban.

"Ne, Ban-chan. I have some coins you can use," Ginji stood in front of him holding out the money, smiling apologetically. Ban figured Ginji was still trying to make up for earlier. _And so he should be_, Ban thought, taking the money with a mumbled thanks.

"Now can I get some coffee." Ban demanded, putting the money on the counter. Paul looked at the coins suspiciously but filled Midou Ban's mug anyway.

"I just hope that coffee makes you less of an arse, Ban-kun," Hevn huffed. She inclined her head towards the door, "Because the clients have arrived."


	4. Diary

Thanks to everyone who left a review. And to everyone reading in general.

Finally, the story gets moving...

**4.**

They had been walking for hours looking at glass case after glass case of wholly uninteresting objects. And there seemed to be no end to the boredom. They hadn't even stopped for lunch and this made a grouchy Ban even grouchier.

"Oy, Old Witch," he called to the woman a few steps in front of him. She continued staring lovingly at an intricately engraved silver knife making no move to indicate she had not heard him at all. Ban cursed angrily,

"Dammit! Are we ever gonna get to eat? Oy, are you listening to me?" The woman blinked and looked down at the young boy staring moodily at her.

"But Baaaan…look how pretty it is." She pointed to the knife and sighed. "I used to have one just like it a long time ago." Her eyes glazed over and Ban knew that meant she was reminiscing and if he didn't do something quickly she would stay like that for ages. So he went up to the woman and prodded her arm.

"Maria." No response. "MARIA!" The sound of his voice echoed through the almost deserted gallery. Ignoring the irritated looks from the museum guard, he leaned closer and shouted again. "OY, WITCH!" With that the vacant look on Maria's face disappeared and she again looked down at her young charge.

"Who are you calling a witch, you little brat," she replied loftily. After taking one final, longing look at the knife she continued up the gallery, not bothering to look at any other objects. Which Ban thought was strange. He ran to catch up with her.

"Are we leaving?" he asked hopefully.

"Not yet," she answered. "There's one more thing we need to see."

"Why the sudden hurry?" Ban had a sneaky suspicion Maria was up to something. She looked at the boy and smiled innocently.

"Hmm…I'm hungry all of sudden."

"That's not it…" Ban started to argue, but a strange feeling of power and familiarity stopped him. He looked around the gallery they had come to. Old books. He walked over to the nearest case and peered down through the glass. A huge leather-bound, beautifully calligraphed volume sat open before him. He began reading the page. It was in Latin. Ban hated Latin.

"Do you feel something, Ban?" Maria asked. The sound of her voice made Ban jump. He couldn't think when he'd become so engrossed in the book that he'd forgotten Maria was there. Now she was standing a little way behind him, looking at him curiously. He stared back at her for a moment, wondering if the witch felt it too. If she did, she wasn't letting on. He shook his head, trying to dispel the feeling from him mind.

"Ban?" Maria spoke again, joining him by the book case. She looked down at the book Ban had been staring at and frowned.

"Not this one," she stated. Ban shrugged.

"I thought it looked interesting." His eyes drifted from Maria to the rest of the case. It continued for some way up the hall, lined with old books and yellowing bits of paper. Looking towards the end of the case now, he felt that same strange draw as before. He let his feet take him. He had learnt at a very young age that it was wise to follow his instincts. They had many times been all that had kept him alive. So now he allowed himself to be drawn to the end of a case, to a small book hand-written in Old German. The volume was in a very bad condition. The pages looked blackened and singed and there were rips and tears along the edges which suggested someone had tried to rip it apart. Glancing over the stained leaf, Ban could make out most of the words. The book was apparently a diary. Ban could just discern a date at the top of the page.

_The 27th day of September 1557_

The entry below it seemed to be talking about a tribunal of some kind, though it was written in archaic German and Ban neither could nor wanted to understand it fully. Even so, he felt as though he had seen this book somewhere before, and the more he stared at it the more convinced he became that he'd seen these very words before too. Ban wondered if he'd studied this book with his Grandmother, but he couldn't remember having ever studied a diary before. Still…

"It's his then," Maria murmured under her breath. She was standing right behind him, looking over his shoulder.

"Whose?" Ban asked, dragging his eyes away from the book to look at the witch's face. Maria laughed quietly.

"You should know better than me, Ban." She looked from the book to him then sighed. "Come on, let's go eat." Ban blinked in surprise. It was unusual for Maria to not explain things to him. He was about to demand an explanation when she took off again up the gallery towards the exit. When he finally got to ask about the diary later that day, Maria merely replied that his Grandmother had wanted to know if it was authentic then changed the subject, clearly indicating the matter was not for discussion.

That night Ban had strange nightmares about people he'd never met and places he'd never been.

…………

"Welcome! Welcome! Come and have a seat over here!" Ban ushered the two prospective clients enthusiastically towards one of the Honkey Tonk's booths. Ginji stood beside him smiling broadly, marveling at Ban's ability to completely change his attitude in the blink of an eye when food, women or money were concerned. Especially where money was concerned.

The clients looked like ordinary salary men, with their black suits, tidy hair and unreasonably shiny shoes. The taller of the two bowed slightly to Hevn.

"These are the retrievers you spoke of, Hevn-san?" he asked, looking suspiciously at the Get Backers.

"Yes, Yamanaka-san. They are two of the best in the business." She smiled warmly and indicated towards the booth, "Now please, if you and your colleague would be seated we can discuss your situation."

Ginji thought neither of the men looked very pleased to be there. To Ginji it also seemed that the taller man was staring at Ban a little bit too much. Ginji was sure Ban had noticed it too because he pushed his glasses high onto his nose and went to sit down without any further greetings. The tall man nodded at his partner and they obligingly seated themselves on the opposite side of the booth to Ban. Ginji and Hevn squeezed in next to him.

"Now what is it we can help you with?" Ban asked, to Ginji's mind a little too politely.

"This matter is very delicate, you understand," the taller man began, suspiciously eyeing the café and its patrons.

"Of course," Hevn reassured him, "We are all professionals here," she indicated towards Kazuki and Shido in the far booth, "And we _all _understand the importance of discretion."

"Very well, then." The client whom Hevn had called Yamanaka-san agreed then nodded to his shorter colleague who brought his bag up to the table and drew from it a photo and a thin pile of papers. He pushed them all over to Hevn as the Yamanaka explained;

"My name is Yamanaka Tetsuo and this is my associate, Sudou Takuya. We work for a museum in Yanazawa which houses a small collection of rare books. Recently, our institution acquired some unique volumes from one of the large museums here in Tokyo. However, upon receiving our acquisitions from that museum a certain book was found to be missing." Hevn held up the photograph. It showed an old blackened book with indiscernible letters embossed in roman script on the cover.

"This one?" she asked. Yamanaka nodded.

"Of course, we contacted the museum and they assured us the book had been shipped. The paperwork suggests that the book did indeed leave along with the others. So it seems that somewhere between Tokyo and Yanazawa the book was taken." Ban took the photo from Hevn and examined it carefully.

"From what museum did you acquire it?" he asked without taking his eyes off the photograph. Yamanaka squirmed slightly and replied;

"We would rather not disclose that as this sale was somewhat…irregular. Unless of course it is necessary to the investigation in which case…"

"It is necessary," Ban cut in sharply. The taller client paused in stunned silence for a moment before taking a business card from his jacket and handing it over to Ban.

"Here…this is the man with whom we did business…" Ban put the photo down and took the business card. "This is completely confidential I hope…" Yamanaka added worriedly.

"Of course, Yamanaka-san," Hevn offered when Ban made no reply. Ginji noticed his partner's eyes narrowed as he read the card. Ginji was also getting the distinct impression Ban knew something about all this that he did not. Although, Ginji thought, it always seemed to be that way.

"And you nor the museum know nothing of how the book was taken?" Ban asked, pulling the rest of the papers which had been placed on the table earlier towards him.

"No. It is a mystery," Yamanaka replied shortly. Ban flipped through the papers.

"They are copies of pages from the book," the shorter client offered, "We thought they would be useful in ensuring you retrieve the correct volume."

"Many old diaries like this go missing then do they?" Ban asked sarcastically. Yamanaka looked at Ban curiously. 　　

"You can read it?" Ban merely shrugged.

"Do you have any idea who might have taken it?" Hevn cut in, attempting to change the subject. She did not like the way Ban was acting towards the clients and was determined to not let his attitude ruin their chances of getting what she had been promised would be a very profitable job. Though in truth, she found his unusual rudeness towards the clients unsettling.

"Well this diary is unique so any serious antique book collector would want it, but I do not believe such people would stoop to theft," Yamanaka answered.

"How is it unique?" Ginji asked in genuine curiosity.

"Such personal diaries from this era are almost unheard of, and this particular one appears to have belonged to a man believing himself to be a witch," the shorter client replied.

"A witch?" Ginji repeated. His eyes shifted to Ban, curious to see his reaction, but his friend was giving nothing away.

"But why would that be a motivation to steal it, Sudou-san?" Hevn asked

"It has to do with the contents of the book," Sudou explained, "It is said to contain…information about certain powers and rites. And there are those who believe in such things."

"And you do not?" Ban cut in, his tone almost inquisitory. The shorter client smiled and leaned back as though astonished by the absurdity of the question.

"Of course not! How ridiculous!"

"Right." Ban smirked grimly, "You believe that someone took the book for the purpose of witchcraft then."

"Yes," Yamanaka answered before the shorter mad had a chance, "The museum informed us that there were several attempts over the years to steal the book, which led to it being taken off display and ultimately their desire to sell it."

"And would you have any inclination as to who the thief might be?" Ban inquired.

"Midou-san," Yamanaka placed his hands on the table for emphasis, "We are book collectors, not occultists. We have no dealings with such people. That is why we are hiring you. This is your line of work, is it not?" Ban raised an eyebrow at the man's insinuation but chose to ignore it.

"It is," he replied simply, "We will take the job."


	5. Refrain

**5.**

Ban sat lazily on the park bench watching Ginji kick a ball around with some kids he　had met all of 5 minutes before. The kids loved him already. He took a long drag on the cigarette in his hand and inhaled deeply to allow the nicotine rush to completely occupy his mind. He didn't want to think about what he might have just got them into. But sooner or later Ginji would ask and he would have to answer. Ban considered telling Ginji not to get involved, but he knew Ginji would never allow that. He also considered calling Hevn and telling her he had changed his mind. Let the Monkey Trainer do it. Much less complicated. Let them, whoever they were, have the diary. What did he care anyway? That stuff had nothing to do with him. He had left that behind… Though he knew he never could. It was his fate. His curse. His family. Ban sighed and raised the cigarette to his lips again. Wasn't he not supposed to be thinking right now? Ban watched Ginji kick the ball straight past a boy he supposed was playing goalie. Who'd have thought the clutz wasn't bad at football. Ban watched his friend wave goodbyes to his new found companions as he jogged over to where Ban was sitting.

"You should have played! It was fun!" he panted breathlessly, taking a seat on the bench. Ban did not answer. Ginji knew full well Ban would never play like that. Or maybe he didn't. The idiot always garnered hope for even the worst of lost causes. Ginji leaned back and looked up at the sky, sighing thoughtfully.

"You should just ask." Ban said flatly, staring intently at the cigarette in his hand.

Ginji turned his eyes towards his friend and smiled gently.

"I thought you might just tell me, but that's good enough." Ban turned his face the other way. "So why did we take the job?" Ginji asked quietly.

"That book is a diary which belonged to an ancestor of mine," Ban answered. He paused, considering how much he should tell his best friend.

"So it belongs to you…and your…family…?" Ginji stumbled over the words, unsure what Ban's reaction would be.

"Not really." Ban gave no indication of how he felt. "Until about 40 years ago it was thought to have been destroyed. And I saw it a while back in that museum. My grandmother didn't seem interested in acquiring it though…Which is strange now I think about it…"

"Maybe you should ask her?" Ginji suggested cheerfully. Ban started at the suggestion, turning angrily towards Ginji.

"No! I'm not talking to her…" Ginji's face fell. He looked awkwardly at his hands.

"S…sorry, Ban-chan…" he mumbled.

"I…didn't… mean to shout at you," Ban ground out. "I just meant that might not be a good idea." He sighed. Ban hated this kind of thing. Hated it when Ginji felt he needed to tiptoe around him for fear of upsetting him. It wasn't like Ban was going to leave Ginji just because he might say something he didn't like. And Ban hated that he couldn't tell his best friend that.

"It doesn't matter," Ban said. "Anyway, it's not so much about the diary as the people who want it." Ginji looked at him, confused.

"Well, many people believe that the book contains spells and stuff that are powerful," Ban explained. Ginji's eyes lit up in understanding.

"Ah! Like what that man said about people trying to steal it from the museum."

"Yeah. But the thing is, I heard the diary is indecipherable."

"Eh? Then why do people try and steal it?"

"There's a story about a guy called Don Ojori who had the book in the 19th century. He was said to have decoded the diary and used its power."

"Then people can read it."

"Maybe."

"I don't get it."

"Maybe some of the old families can. Like those who still use magic or whatever."

"Oh. So you think maybe those men were…from one of those families?"

"Yeah…" Ban sat thoughtfully for a moment.

"They were looking at you weird." Ginji hadn't say anything, but the way they looked at Ban was what made Ginji feel most uneasy about the job. Ginji noticed Ban frown and knew there was more to this than he was saying.

"I just don't know why any of them would go after it," he said finally. "If they are from one of the families then they should know that it wouldn't be a good idea to try and use its power." Ginji decided it best to let the former matter alone seeing as Ban had completely ignored his previous statement.

"Is it dangerous then?" he asked instead. Ban shrugged and threw his spent cigarette to the ground.

"People say it's unlucky to have the book. Everyone who has ever kept the book for a while has died." He smirked. "Horribly. But the old hag once told me that there was stuff in there you shouldn't do."

"Then we shouldn't give the book to them?"

"No." Ban paused for a moment and turned to his partner. "Ginji, I don't think they mean us to find it anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"If they…know who I am they will know I won't give them the book."

"Then why hire us?" Ginji asked, getting even more confused. Ban smiled ruefully.

"To keep us in check. Because they know I'll try and find it. I suppose there are lots of reasons."

"Oh." Ginji thought for a moment before an idea hit him. "Then we should find it first anyway!" Ban looked at him curiously. "But we shouldn't keep it long," Ginji added, "I don't want us to die. Horribly." Ban had to laugh at that.

"No," he allowed, "Neither would I." He leaned back, glad that was over. Although he hadn't told Ginji everything that would be enough for now. Now he just had to work out where they should start. But maybe not today. Looking over at his partner, Ban saw that Ginji was sitting with his eyes half closed, smiling slightly. It really was a nice day. Ban turned his head to the sky. Where there had been clouds earlier, there was now nothing but a brilliant blue canvas. It was odd, Ban thought, that even when things felt so right there was something nagging at the corners of his mind, like even his own brain contrived against him ever being contented.

"It really got hot suddenly, didn't it Ban-chan?" Ban froze. The feeling that a second before had been just a shadow of discomfort churned suddenly into something more solid. Something was strange, or wrong, but he couldn't place it.

"Ban-chan?" Ginji repeated. Ginji was looking at his partner now, a little concerned. It was like he had heard this before. Like Deja-vous but stronger. It unsettled him. Ban tried to think what it could be, but his gut just told him to leave the park now. It ached so badly it hurt. Not one to ignore his instincts, Ban stood up abruptly.

"Let's get out of here, Ginji." His tone was final.

"Ban-chan…" There was a cry behind them. One of the boys Ginji had been playing with earlier was calling him.

"Ah…Hang on a minute, Ban-chan," Ginji said, sprinting off back towards the boys. Ban cursed and was just going to go after him when the feeling hit him again. He looked around, feeling oddly panicked. He could see nothing out of the ordinary; some people sitting on the grass talking, a couple walking leisurely along the path, another group of children chasing after each other. And then there was Ginji, smiling at the boys he had befriended, waving and running off into the small clump of trees a few metres away. The feeling grew stronger as Ginji ran further from him. Breath clenched in his chest, heart beating madly, Ban could only watch in absolute fear of something completely unknown as Ginji disappeared into the trees.

* * *

As soon as he had passed between the first trees, Ginji felt the temperature drop and the light lessen even though the trees were not particularly dense. It was easy to make his way through the trees though he had no idea where he should look. So he just walked in a straight line as best he could, looking cautiously around for the ball. So focused was Ginji on the area around him that he didn't notice the ball lay right in his path and, flapping his arms frantically, tripped on it landing solidly on his back.

"Owww…" Ginji sat up and rubbed his back tenderly, looking for the cause of his fall. The ball sat a few feet in front of him. Ginji cursed his own stupidity, but at least he had found the ball. All he had to do now was take it back to the boys then he could go meet up with Ban again. Ban. Now that he thought about it, Ban had started acting really strangely just before the boys had called him over. He would have to ask Ban what was wrong. He seemed so intent on leaving all of a sudden, almost like he was scared. Though Ginji knew Ban was afraid of very few things. He reached out and picked up the ball then pushed himself up off the ground. He thought he should hurry back to Ban.

Then he heard something strange. It was almost inaudible amongst the sounds of the leaves rustling in the wind and the people talking and children playing in the distance. Ginji thought it strange, here in the small patch of trees, to hear the soft ringing of a bell. He followed the sound, getting louder with every step, until he saw a girl of maybe 6 or 7 standing amongst the trees looking around curiously. She held a small bell in her hand. Sensing someone watching her, the girl stopped and looked in Ginji's direction.

"Is anyone there?" she called a little fearfully. Not wanting to scare the child, Ginji moved a little closer to the girl so she could see him better and waved, ball tucked firmly under his arm. He smiled as kindly as he could.

"Ah…hello. It's only…um…me," he called back, but then realised that the girl didn't know who "me" was.

"Are you lost?" he asked. The girl looked at him oddly, then smiled and began walking over to him.

"No, I'm not," the girl replied brightly. She held the bell up in front of Ginji's face. "Do you like my bell?" she asked.

"It's very pretty," Ginji said, laughing slightly. "But what are you…"

"Here," the girl interrupted, shoving the bell into Ginji's free hand. "It's for you!"

"For me?" Ginji asked, looking closely at the bell, then back up at the girl. "Why?" The girl giggled.

"Because I like you!" she replied, then ran off further into the trees. Ginji stood stunned for a moment before he thought to run after the girl, just in case she was lost, but he quickly came out the other side of the wooded area and back into the park. He couldn't see the girl anywhere. Slightly unsettled, Ginji turned back and walked slowly the way he had come. He looked down at the bell on his hand. Its metal looked old and beaten, but felt warm in his hand and its ring as he walked was soft and not unpleasant. Ginji wondered if perhaps he should try harder to find its former owner. But then he smiled. If she wanted it back very badly she would surely find him; that was his job after all.


End file.
